This tutorial will show you how to create intricate patterns in Illustrator super quickly. Stuff that would take you hours to draw manually with the Pen Tool takes just seconds when you use this technique. This tutorial is special because it was written by a guest author. His name is Barton Damer. I think he did a great job this time around and you can probably expect more tutorials from Barton in the future. So if you like it it, show your support and leave a comment! With that said, on with the tutorial!
You can watch the video or read the step by step tutorial below.
Intro:
We’ll use some elements from Go Media’s Arsenal to give us a great starting point. In this particular tutorial I used Decorative 2 from Set 8 and also the Currency Ornaments from Set 4. If you do not have these elements, no problem, you can either create your own or use some stuff from our free sample pack. The principal behind this tutorial is using the Pattern Brush tool in Adobe Illustrator.
Step 1:
I chose this single Go Media swirl design from Decorative 8. Outlined it in black with a white fill. Then drew a black rectangle behind it.
Make sure all the items you want to make a pattern from are selected. From the Brushes menu button click the down arrow choose “new brush” (see image below).
Step 2:
That will prompt you to make a choice. Choose “new pattern brush.” (see image below)
Step 3:
You will then see these options (see image below).
These are your default settings and they will work just fine for what we are doing right now. Click “OK.”
Step 4:
Now make a circle and with the circle selected, choose your new brush from the brushes menu. You will see the pattern brush wraps the image around the circle seamlessly. SICK!
(see image below)
Step 5:
Next, I have drawn my own shape and repeated the steps for making a new brush - using the default settings. This shape is a little more detailed (see image below). But you can just as easily choose to use a vertical triangle or a diamond that is stretched vertically. Regardless, use a shape that is vertical in length so that you will see the way the pattern brush treats this element.
Step 6:
Draw a new circle aligned in the center of the current circle. Select your new pattern brush from the menu and peep the rad shape that would’ve hurt my brain to try to draw on my own! (see image below). Now adjust the size of your stroke and watch what happens! Adjust to your liking.
Step 7:
Now I want to get really detailed with the pattern brush. I’m going to create and intricate shape by combining elements from 3 different Gomedia swirlies. As you create your shape, keep in mind that the edges need to line up perfectly in order to repeat and create the pattern (see the example in red below). I will only use the shape inside of my guides for the pattern brush shape.
Step 8:
Once you have paid careful attention to the edges and know that they will seamlessly line up, make a new pattern brush (repeating the steps from the beginning of the tutorial). Draw another circle that is aligned with the center of the other 2 circles. Apply your new pattern brush. (see image below) Upon seeing the results, I soiled myself and had to change my undies! AMAZING!
Step 9:
(side note: we’ve been using the default settings for the brushes we’ve created. but notice the results when we “flip across.” (see image below) you can also apply these brushes to any shape vector. not just circles.)
Step 10:
I want to make 2 more brushes to complete my overall pattern. One of them is another swirly from Gomedia, the other is simply a black box with a white triangle. (see image below) Again, repeat the steps for making a pattern brush. Default settings are fine.
Step 11:
My pattern now looks like this. You can see that all of this detail contains only 5 vector circles! (see image below)
Step 12:
This pattern is going to be part of a larger design. So I’m going to mask it by drawing a square around it and making a clipping mask. (see image below)
Step 13:
And now I’ve added some more Gomedia swirls to the corners and a nice thick black stroke around the mask. (see image below)
Step 14:
Check this out… Go to Object > Expand Appearance. Now you have vector points for each piece of your pattern. (see image below)
Step 15:
Now I can choose colors for individual elements or groups. (see image below). I’ve also continued my design by adding another design from Gomedia to the top.
Step 16:
Continuing to add to my design, I’ve chosen 3 elements from the Gomedia Currency set to create the detailed framing in tan/black outlines. (see image below) I have also taken the time to draw Jesus. See Gomedia’s tutorial on “Beautiful Vector Illustrations” to complete this step.
Step 17:
Last, I really want to utilize the use of patterns with this piece so I made the background from straight lines and applied one of the brushes I had already made earlier in the tutorial. (see image below)
Conclusion:
The power of the pattern brush is amazing! Experiment with some of the settings for different effects. You can even select this entire piece of artwork now that it is “finished” and make that into a pattern brush. Super rad!
January 8th, 2008 at 1:52 am
wow, very impressing - I nearly never used pattern till now, I think I’ll gonna give it a shot today ^^
January 8th, 2008 at 2:10 am
Nice work. I’m going to have to try this out myself….talk about a potential time sink!
January 8th, 2008 at 4:08 am
very nice tuts
great works and great patterns 
January 8th, 2008 at 4:57 am
Very inspiring, I will try this right away! Thank you!
January 8th, 2008 at 5:00 am
this is so useful! keep the video tuts coming… there really good!
January 8th, 2008 at 6:02 am
that absolutely great tutorial..
thanks dude
January 8th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Great !! Thanks a lot.
January 8th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Holy… freakin’… crap!
I’ve played (lightly) with patterns and such, but WOW the things you can actually do with it blows my mind… Time to start practicing!
Thanks a million times over!
January 8th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Amazing, just goes to show how a tool that you use in your work on a daily basis can be used in a different context to create a totally new style.
Chris
January 8th, 2008 at 9:12 am
simple and brilliant with an outcome that looks like it took hours. what else is there to say.
January 8th, 2008 at 9:24 am
wow that’s an amazing tutorial! who knew you could make something so intricate and complex looking so easily!
I just wanted to add that you can actually colorize your brushes afterwards. You need to set the “Colorization Method” to “tints” in the brush options and then you can change the stroke colors to anything.
January 8th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I may have to pay more attention to the pattern brush in Illy now
January 8th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
this was awesome, he walked through it real nice, pattern brush is really useful
January 8th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Awesome tutorial, some very useful stuff here.
January 8th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Two thumbs up!
January 8th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Great tutorial guys. Thanks for breaking it down for us.
January 8th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Thats the kind of tutorial that I like to see, you dont see that kind just anywhere. Very well done.
January 8th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
i love GM!
January 8th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
THANKS! so glad it is useful. big thanks to Gomedia for their willingness to support the online artist community with such amazing business tips, tutorials, and top 10 lists!
Gooooo! media!
January 8th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Thanks for the tutorial! Not a graphic designer by trade, so this was extremely helpful & insiteful to me! Thanks Barton & Go Media!!!
January 8th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
amazing tutorial!! Will save me so so so much time!!!! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 8th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
very good tutorial!! keep em coming!
January 8th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Powerfull!!!!!!!!!!
January 8th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Reeeemarkable!!!!!!!!!
January 9th, 2008 at 2:33 am
Amazing tutorial, just what I needed… Super cool!
Big Thanks from Sweden!
>M
January 9th, 2008 at 3:40 am
Wow, the tutorials you guys publish are brilliant. I’ve found them to be of great value to me. Keep up the great work!
Chris
South Africa
January 9th, 2008 at 8:42 am
very useful tutorial..
gives professional result for any designs
January 9th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Love the tut Bart. Great stuff, thanks for the tips.
January 9th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Great tutorial, fellow Clevelanders!!
January 9th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
AWESOME Tutorial. One of the best! Thanks for sharing your secret!
January 10th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Hi,
How very nice of you to have shared a wealth of knowledge with us..! We do expect more such great gestures from you in future. Thank a lot mate…
January 11th, 2008 at 11:35 am
This is amazing! Really inspiring stuff, thank you
January 16th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Thanks for a GREAT tutorial, now I need to get myself to learn and use more of illustrator than Photoshop.
January 16th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
O my!!! this tuto is wonderful! thank you,
MacariuS from Brazil! \,,/
January 16th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Amazing! Keep up the great work!
btw, i love the pic of Jesus!
W00T!
January 17th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Very beautiful. For some reason I really love intricate patterns, such as fractals.
January 17th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
woOw , nice tut.
keep it up
January 19th, 2008 at 7:08 am
ewzzzz nice tutorial talaga it super na matuto ka….hey heyyyyyy from philippines
cdeinla@yahoo.com
January 19th, 2008 at 7:10 am
ilove this tutorial….i ve learned alot
January 21st, 2008 at 11:45 am
dang that’s tight! Drupal really is the most powerful tool. It doesn’t seem to be too complex either which really helps!
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:07 am
cool tut, thanks!
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I’m not sure about earlier versions, but for CS2 and CS3, steps 1 through 11 can be applied to a single ellipse!
Simply add strokes in the “Appearances” Panel.
Colors, stroke weight and pattern brush application can be applied to each added stroke.
Under the Effect> Path> Offset Path dropdown command you can adjust the offset of each added path from the original ellipse path, or leave the Offset as is and build up a densely textured ellipse.
Although there are few extra steps, using the Appearances palette decreases how many objects you have to keep track of and speeds up any edits.
Additionally, you can save the settings as a Graphic Style and apply the style to other objects or future projects with the click of your mouse (or pen).
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:46 am
Great stuff, but your good grief, drink some coffee before you do a video tutorial. I felt like your voice was putting my brain into a coma.
Not trying to be mean-spirited, just teasing ya. Thanks for sharing.
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
yeah. no kidding. i’ve been waiting for my big break with a voice over talent agency… still waiting.
thank God for digital art or i’d be screwed.
a friend of mine said i reminded him of a modern day Bob Ross! ha!
January 25th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Cool stuff! Could you do a repeating pattern tutorial in Illustrator? I do these in photoshop http://www.collision-theory.com/aj_patterns.htm but I want to learn how to do a square graphic in illustrator that repeats cleanly. does that make sense? lol
January 26th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
lets see what would this look like if it were ice cream… hmmm… that’s pretty delicious.
not only a great tutorial, but you’re hilarious also.
you are the modern day Bob Ross.
Let’s make some happy patterns.
January 27th, 2008 at 6:39 am
I cannot believe I haven’t subscribed this this web site before.
I LOVE the tutorials and all the freebies!
I am going to ask for a gift certificate for my birthday!
January 30th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
that s v.nice! keep it up, man!
January 31st, 2008 at 1:19 am
Gila lo ndro!!!
Hebat banget ck ck ck ck …
Ajarin dong mbah bule???? plis…
Pada ngerti kan bahasa ini?
hehehehe
January 31st, 2008 at 7:58 am
After watching your tutorial I got inspired and created a “Valentine’s Day” pattern in CS2 - it was just chosen by the admin team at Vectorstock.com for the “Free Pattern of the Month”
I credit your tutorial in my Vectorstock blog at:
http://www.vectorstock.com/artist/?name=mombeka
Still trying to figure out how to integrate these things gracefully with other elements - not as easy as you make it look! Thanks for a really fun learning experience with great results!
January 31st, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Excellent! Just the kind of tutorial you want to read.
February 1st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
wow it is nice!
Thank you. from Seoul
February 6th, 2008 at 1:13 am
And from Paris also !
February 6th, 2008 at 11:52 am
oho! supernice! sweh-eat!
February 12th, 2008 at 1:53 am
The only question I have.. and this is going to sound lame.. is how to do align up consistent circles within circles consistently?
Driving my crazy..
Other than that great tutorial.
February 18th, 2008 at 4:18 am
nice, thx
February 19th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
This tutorial makes me laugh at how easy it actually is.
Thank you so much for helping me do this more efficiently! =3
February 21st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Great Work– Fantastic tutorial! Going to try out this idea soon!
February 26th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Great work! Great tutorial!
i wanna know what is the currency look call?
and how to create it?
March 1st, 2008 at 7:14 am
yes very cool indeed
but i can get a half tone ..to span across a 900px page & too look consistent all the way across
what am i missing ?
peace ..John
March 7th, 2008 at 5:05 am
problem solved finally…how to get a half tone too span across 900px ..with out stretching out the graphic ….the pattern tool ..doh !
thanx man great tute
peace & health …John
March 10th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Great video. Very helpful. I never used the pattern brush before.
Now will you please show me how to make a regular pattern that has overlapping elements across the boundaries of a box?
March 18th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
There seems to be a missing link with how to use ornaments - and, in particular, with the pattern brush. You see them all the time in professional graphics, yet they seem to be hidden in Illustrator. You did great job revealing both the ornament asset and putting it to proper use.
Plus, I personally liked your voice - and your humbleness and satisfaction after completing a technique. Reminded me of Geof from Ace of Cakes!
March 20th, 2008 at 3:02 am
very usefull tut… i think i didnt go to design school after read it… thanks…!
Gomedia always gimme alot of great secret things,thanks again. but i’ve any question to you, i hope you can help me.. ” how to grow up
the brilliant idea to design..?” its my big problem when i began to design.. i hope anybody can help me please…
Sorry… my english very terrible…
Thanks from indonesian beginner.
March 24th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
WOW ! cool tuts
thank fr malaysia
March 25th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
alusiiinaaaante cada vez mas viajados ustedes loco.
March 25th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
alucinante también.
April 18th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Oh my God… it’s really great technique and design as long I knew… thank you very much…
May 17th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
nice tut but I’m stuck om step 7- how do you crop it in AI to make it seamless? the pathfinder doesnt work because it still adds the invisible part of the combined shape. help!! thanks!
June 12th, 2008 at 9:05 am
very inspiring to learn more because i tried it step by step, thank you!
June 12th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
wow, that is pretty cool. you make it look so easy! I am going to be sure my designer reads this post.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:43 am
wow , that is really cool , i never thought that we can such intricate pattern so quiclky
July 11th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
sick is right, this is insane….love it!
July 14th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
That’s super incredible! I never knew how easy it was to create pattern brushes like that. I will definitely have to add this technique to my knowledge banks. Thanks!
July 29th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Really nice tutorial. Nice work bro
August 12th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
You’re hilarious, That… was… sweet….
August 18th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Great Tutorial.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I’ve found that increasing the stroke to a shape after applying a pattern can result in yet more interesting shape that can be made into their own pattern brushes to make things yet more intricate.
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Awesome! I’m new to illustrator and learning so much from you. But tell me, did you really soil your undies? LOL!
September 20th, 2008 at 11:08 am
great tut brudda, just what i was looking for too!
October 12th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Absolutely awesome! Thanks
November 7th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Hi! So, I got all the way to where you expand appearance and add color. Thing is…mine won’t let me add color. Whenever I select an element and choose a color its just gray. Any thoughts?
November 20th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
wow this tutorial is amazing! its really awesome, imma try this its very exciting!!
November 28th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Es muy bueno el tutorial, nos enseña un exelente manejo de la herramienta brush.
Gracias.
November 28th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Está buenisimo el tutorial, nos enseña un exelente manejo de la herramienta brush.
November 30th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Amazing tut! I cannot wait to give this a try for my download stuff! Thanks a TON!